Local Interest
Anzac Day April 25th
The anniversary of the ANZAC memorial is significantly one of the most important national anniversaries for Australia and New Zealand . It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by the two nations in World War One .
When war broke out in 1914 , Australia had been a federated nation for only 13 years , and the new federal government was eager to establish its reputation among the nations of the world . When Britain declared war in August 1914 Australia was automatically placed on the side of the Commonwealth . In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies . The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople ( now Istanbul ), the capital of the Ottoman Empire , an ally of Germany .
Although the events of this action are well documented sometimes it is necessary to remind ourselves of what happened ;
The Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on 25 April , meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders . What had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate , and the campaign dragged on for eight months . At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated from the peninsula , with both sides having suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships . More than 8,000 Australian soldiers had been killed . There were many other casualties in this drawn-out campaign , namely the unarmed members of the Salvation Army , members of whom were side by side with the fighting men based a fundamental principles the Salvationist believed ; We , the Salvation Army will never pronounce upon the rights and wrongs of a war , we are politically neutral .
The Gallipoli campaign had a profound impact on Australians and New Zealand ' s at home , and 25 April soon became the day on which we all remembered the sacrifice of those who died in the war . Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives , the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign left us all a powerful legacy . The creation of what became known as the “ Anzac legend ” became an impor-
10 The MAG Vung Tau